1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for safekeeping an ink cartridge structured to be capable of being attached to or detached from a recording apparatus which can store and safekeep the ink cartridge in it. More particularly, the invention relates to a container having an improved structure for safekeeping the ink cartridge in order to provide an easy but highly reliable safekeeping condition thereof.
2. Related Background Art
As a mode of a recording apparatus of a type which uses ink for recording, there is an ink jet recording apparatus which discharges ink onto a recording medium as droplets adhering to it. In recent years, along with the increasing demand on small and inexpensive ink jet recording apparatuses, an apparatus has been proposed in which a recording head unit and an ink tank unit are mounted on a scanning carriage while supplying ink from the tank to the recording head, and an structure is arranged to make it possible for the operator to replace the units easily when ink in the tank is completely consumed, for instance.
Now, for the recording apparatus having the exchangeable means mounted on it for recording, a structure is proposed for storing and safekeeping the recording means in a container when preliminary means for recording or recording means is not in use. For example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. 55-63750, a structure is disclosed, in which a spare ink cartridge is stored and safekept in the hollow core of a shaft for holding a rolled printing sheet. A structure is also proposed to provide storing and safekeeping conditions for an ink cartridge by arranging a unit dedicated to storing the ink cartridge on a part of the main body of the apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. 61-93265. Further, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. 55-116215 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. 59-41588, a structure is disclosed, in which a container for storing an ink pen is held by a coupling device to the reverse side of the apparatus where it does not hinder the operation of the apparatus.
These containers are arranged to store the ink pen or ink cartridge in them and cover them closely or cap the pen directly in order to eliminate any drawback that may take place while in safekeeping, such as evaporation of ink.
Meanwhile, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 5-254583, a structure is disclosed, in which a safekeeping box is arranged to safekeep an ink cartridge having a recording head unit and an ink tank unit integrally formed for it, and also, a cap covering the recording head unit, and a recovery pump connected to the cap are provided in the safekeeping box: the operation of the pump is interlocked with the opening and closing of the cover of the safekeeping box.
Now, in recent years, there has been proposed an ink jet recording apparatus arranged to use a color ink jet cartridge having different colors of ink in one ink tank, and an ink jet cartridge having ink of single color (black, for instance), and to execute recording in colors or in monochrome by exchanging these cartridges as required.
In a recording mode such as this, it is conceivable among others that safekeeping containers are prepared for the respective ink jet cartridges in order to safekeep each one of them when it is not in use or a safekeeping container is prepared to provide double capacity for storing two ink jet cartridges individually in one safekeeping container. However, a problem is encountered in any one of these containers that the existence of plural containers hinders the operativity or the size of the safekeeping container becomes extremely large.
Also, the safekeeping container in which the recovery mechanism is incorporated as described above is apparently effective in holding different kinds of ink cartridges in one safekeeping container, but there is a possibility that the circumference of the cap is stained by ink which is exhausted by the recovery operation, thus contaminating the discharge port surface of the other ink cartridge.
Further, there is a need for securing an extra space for arranging the ink jet cartridge which is comparatively large as compared to the pen if it is safekept in a container to be coupled to the reverse side of the apparatus. This is one problem to be solved. In addition, not only there is required a member dedicated to mounting the safekeeping container, but also its handling is not convenient because it is mounted on the back of the recording apparatus.